Children’s reading is at “crisis” point, with the number of pupils enjoying books having dropped to the lowest level in almost 20 years, a new report warns.
The number of young people who say they enjoy reading has fallen significantly in the past year - especially among boys, according to research by the National Literacy Trust (NLT) charity.
Only 34.6 per cent of children and young people aged between 8 and 18 said they enjoyed reading in their free time in 2024, compared with 43.4 per cent in 2023.
This is the lowest proportion recorded since the charity began the survey in 2005, according to the report.
The gender gap among children who say they take pleasure in reading has widened significantly this year as the number of boys enjoying reading has dropped, the report says.
Fewer children enjoy reading
Only 28.2 per cent of boys aged between 8 and 18 said they enjoyed reading in their free time, compared with 40.5 per cent of girls - a gap of 12.3 percentage points.
Last year 40.5 per cent of boys said they enjoyed reading in their free time, compared with 45.3 per cent girls - a gap of 4.8 percentage points.
The report says the situation is “a particular crisis” for secondary school students: the fall in reading enjoyment was more pronounced for young people aged 11 to 14 and 14 to 16 than for those aged 8 to 11.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, described the findings as extremely concerning and said the sharp fall among boys was a particular concern.
“We know families have faced huge pressures in recent years, from the pandemic to the cost-of-living crisis, and there have also been cuts to vital community services and libraries over the last decade. But we should all do everything in our power to encourage parents to read with their children as much as possible,” he said.
Mr Whiteman added that the findings support the need for a review of the content of both the primary and secondary curriculum and qualifications. “One of the aims of education must surely be that children and young people develop a love of reading,” he said.
‘Shocking and dispiriting’
Overall, the NLT survey in January and March 2024 involved 76,131 children and young people aged 5 to 18 from 405 schools across the UK.
Only 20.5 per cent of children and young people aged between 8 and 18 said they read something daily in their free time in 2024, compared with 28 per cent in 2023.
The report says this is the “lowest daily reading level” since the survey began nearly two decades ago.
Only 17.5 cent of boys said they read daily in their spare time, compared with 23.2 per cent of girls.
“The declining levels of reading enjoyment and reading frequency are, frankly, shocking and dispiriting,” the report says.
“Perhaps a packed curriculum, high academic expectations and the perception of a challenging future all contribute to children having less time for reading for enjoyment and less mental space to do it,” it adds.
“It’s likely, too, that the recent pandemic and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis have exacerbated these challenges, with many children and young people struggling to access high-quality reading materials.”
Call for government taskforce
The NLT is calling on the government to urgently form a reading taskforce and action plan with multi-sector partners.
The government’s curriculum and assessment review should prioritise reading for pleasure alongside the skills that are vital in the development of confident, motivated readers, the charity says.
Jonathan Douglas, chief executive of the NLT, said: “With children and young people’s enjoyment of reading at an all-time low, and high numbers leaving primary and secondary school without the reading skills they need to thrive, the futures of a generation are being put at risk.
“So many families, schools, libraries, charities, publishers, businesses and more are already inspiring children’s reading in such diverse and innovative ways.
“But to truly make reading for pleasure a national priority, we are urging the government to form a reading taskforce and action plan with multi-sector partners - amplifying our collective reach and influence, strengthening our impact and reimagining solutions to this complex crisis.”
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU teachers’ union, said the NLT research should be “ringing alarm bells at the Department for Education”.
He warned that the current assessment system is “squeezing out time for reading” and called for the government to end statutory testing in primary schools so that teachers can “instil a love of reading in our schools”.
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